Email attachments have finally lost. Adobe’s Acrobat Studio pitch this year around PDF Spaces, one link, one workspace, no more forwarded PDFs, is the polished version of a shift that has been underway for years. For everything that is not a PDF, WeTransfer became the default. Drop a file in the browser, get a link, done.
The problem, WeTransfer’s free tier keeps getting stingier and the tracking scripts have quietly multiplied. What used to be a 2GB limit is smaller and gated by ads and Pro upsells. For anyone who sends a lot of files, or handles files that should not sit on a marketing-heavy server, there are better options in 2026. This roundup covers seven WeTransfer alternatives that solve the “send this file to that person” problem cleanly on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Send Anywhere | Fast direct sends up to 10GB | 10GB per transfer | Around $6/mo Plus | Six-digit key transfers |
| Smash | Uncapped file size on free tier | Unlimited size, 14-day link | Around $5/mo Team | No file size cap |
| SwissTransfer | Largest free tier, EU-hosted | 50GB per transfer | Free, no account | Infomaniak-hosted, EU only |
| Filemail | No-account big transfers | 5GB free, no signup | Around $10/mo Pro | Direct link, no login |
| LocalSend | Offline transfers on your LAN | Free, open-source | Free | Works with no internet |
| Wormhole | End-to-end encrypted transfers | 10GB per transfer | Free | Client-side encryption by default |
| Bitwarden Send | E2E secure text and small files | Up to 500MB free with account | Bundled with Premium (about $10/yr) | Ties into a password-manager workflow |
Why people leave WeTransfer
Shrinking free tier. WeTransfer’s free plan has shrunk over the years. The old 2GB per transfer feels tighter with every video export and RAW batch, and Pro upsells appear before every send.
Ads and tracking. The free download page loads a stack of tracking scripts and full-screen ads. For sensitive transfers, that is more third-party observation than most senders want.
Retention windows. Files expire on a schedule you cannot always control on the free tier. Missing a link deadline means asking the sender to re-upload.
Corporate blocklists. IT departments block WeTransfer domains often, because the same “just paste a link” flow makes exfiltration easy. If your recipient’s company blocks it, the transfer never lands.
Ownership and roadmap uncertainty. WeTransfer has changed hands more than once, and the roadmap sometimes moves toward tools (Paste, Paper) that pull the product away from the simple “send a file” job.
The 7 alternatives
Send Anywhere -- Best for fast direct sends
Send Anywhere is what a lot of designers and film crews use when WeTransfer is not enough. The free tier allows a 10GB transfer via link, and one of its best tricks is a six-digit device-to-device key, punch it into another app or the web page and files stream straight across, no account needed. It ships desktop and mobile clients, so end-to-end transfers between phone and laptop are as fast as the local network.
Where it falls short: the free tier is ad-supported and the desktop client can nag. Long-lived links move to a paid tier.
Pricing:
- Free: 10GB per transfer via link, six-digit key transfers free
- Paid: around $6 per month for Plus with larger transfers and longer link retention
- vs WeTransfer: bigger free ceiling and a direct P2P mode WeTransfer does not have
Migrating from WeTransfer: nothing to migrate. Install the app or open the web page and start sending.
Download: Send Anywhere for Windows/Mac/Linux
Bottom line: the closest one-to-one replacement for WeTransfer’s free flow, with a device-to-device mode that WeTransfer never had.
Smash -- Best for uncapped file sizes
Smash is the French answer to WeTransfer and pitches itself on the one thing WeTransfer never promised, no file size cap on the free tier. Send a 40GB video? Send a 200GB batch? Smash uploads it and generates a link that lasts 14 days. Large transfers on the free tier are throttled to keep things fair, so a truly huge send takes longer, but it will complete.
Where it falls short: the free-tier speed cap hurts on massive transfers. And the web-first flow is not as slick a desktop experience as Send Anywhere’s client.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited file size, 14-day retention, throttled
- Paid: around $5 per month for the Team plan removing throttling
- vs WeTransfer: no size ceiling on free, longer retention out of the box
Migrating from WeTransfer: open the web page and drop the file. No account required.
Download: Smash for Windows/Mac
Bottom line: the right pick when a file is too big for WeTransfer and paying for Pro is not on the table.
SwissTransfer -- Best for the largest free tier
SwissTransfer is run by Infomaniak, a Swiss host with a good privacy reputation and green-energy datacenters. The free tier allows a 50GB transfer per send, up to 30 days retention, and no account. Files are stored on Swiss servers, which matters to a lot of European senders under GDPR.
Where it falls short: speed varies by region, non-European senders sometimes see slower downloads because of the transit distance. There is no dedicated desktop client, everything runs in the browser.
Pricing:
- Free: 50GB per send, 30-day retention, no signup
- Paid: bundled with Infomaniak subscriptions
- vs WeTransfer: 25 times the free file size, hosted in Switzerland
Migrating from WeTransfer: open the web page, drop the file, share the link.
Download: SwissTransfer web app
Bottom line: the single best free tier of any file transfer service. Choose this when the file is big and no account is desired.
Filemail -- Best for no-account transfers
Filemail is the workhorse for people who send files without wanting to think about signup, browser plugins, or password resets. The free tier allows 5GB per transfer via a plain link, no account required. It has been around long enough to be reliable, and the paid tiers unlock Aspera-style acceleration for genuinely enormous transfers.
Where it falls short: the free tier interstitial page has a full ad experience and can look janky. The Pro upsell is aggressive.
Pricing:
- Free: 5GB per transfer, no signup
- Paid: around $10 per month for Pro with 25GB transfers and no ads
- vs WeTransfer: comparable free ceiling with faster paid-tier acceleration
Migrating from WeTransfer: identical flow, open the page, drop the file, get a link.
Download: Filemail for Windows/Mac/Linux
Bottom line: stable, boring in the good sense, and the ad-heavy free page is the only real downside.
LocalSend -- Best for offline transfers on your LAN
LocalSend is the pick when the recipient is in the same room, on the same office network, or across a hotel Wi-Fi hop. It is open-source, cross-platform, and moves files device-to-device over the LAN with no internet involved. That is faster, more private, and works when the connection to the outside world is unreliable.
Where it falls short: LAN-only. If the recipient is not on the same network, LocalSend is the wrong tool. And the UI is intentionally minimal, this is not a polished consumer product.
Pricing:
- Free: the full app, no paid tier
- Paid: none, open-source under MIT
- vs WeTransfer: no internet dependency, no upload waiting, no size cap
Migrating from WeTransfer: install the app on both devices, both show up in each other’s device list on the LAN, tap to send.
Download: LocalSend for Windows/Mac/Linux
Bottom line: essential for anyone who moves large files between their own devices. Replaces the WeTransfer round trip with a direct LAN copy.
Wormhole -- Best for end-to-end encrypted transfers
Wormhole, from the team behind Firefox Send’s original design, encrypts every file client-side before it leaves the browser. The server never sees the plaintext. The transfer is generated with a link that carries the decryption key in the URL fragment, which the server does not receive. This is the right architecture for sensitive files.
Where it falls short: links expire after 24 hours by default, shorter than WeTransfer. The transfer is limited to 10GB per send. And the web-only flow lacks a proper desktop client.
Pricing:
- Free: 10GB per transfer, 24-hour links
- Paid: none announced
- vs WeTransfer: end-to-end encryption WeTransfer does not offer
Migrating from WeTransfer: open the web page, drop the file, share the link and key.
Download: Wormhole web app
Bottom line: the default choice when the file is confidential and a paid enterprise tier is not an option.
Bitwarden Send -- Best for secure text and small files
Bitwarden Send is a feature of the Bitwarden password manager that turns the vault into a secure share tool. Text and file sends are end-to-end encrypted, and access can be limited by expiration date, view count, or password. For teams that already use Bitwarden, this replaces two tools (WeTransfer for files, Signal for private text) with one.
Where it falls short: file transfers require a Premium account (around $10 per year). File size caps at 500MB, so it is not the tool for video exports. Text sends are the standout feature.
Pricing:
- Free: 30-day text-only sends
- Paid: around $10 per year Premium adds file sends up to 500MB
- vs WeTransfer: dramatically better for small confidential shares, not a replacement for large media
Migrating from WeTransfer: create a Send inside the Bitwarden app or web vault, attach the file, share the link.
Download: Bitwarden for Windows/Mac/Linux
Bottom line: worth adding to the workflow if you already use Bitwarden. Not the right pick for large media transfers.
How to choose
Pick Send Anywhere if you want a WeTransfer replacement that just works, with a bigger free ceiling and an option to send device-to-device by key.
Pick Smash if the file is too big for WeTransfer’s free tier and you can wait through the throttle.
Pick SwissTransfer if the file is huge and you want the biggest free tier available. Also the right choice for anyone under GDPR who wants EU hosting.
Pick Filemail if you want something as boring and reliable as WeTransfer without the account demand.
Pick LocalSend if the recipient is on the same network. Nothing beats a LAN transfer.
Pick Wormhole if the file is sensitive. Client-side encryption is the difference.
Pick Bitwarden Send if you already use Bitwarden and mostly send small files and secure text snippets.
Stay on WeTransfer if you specifically need its Paste or Paper tools alongside file sending, or if a client requires a WeTransfer link out of habit. For pure file transfer, at least one of these seven is a better fit.
FAQ
Is there a free WeTransfer alternative with no file size limit? Yes. Smash allows unlimited file sizes on its free tier (throttled) and SwissTransfer allows 50GB per send. Both are free without an account.
What is the most private WeTransfer alternative? Wormhole encrypts files client-side before upload and never sees the plaintext. Bitwarden Send is also end-to-end encrypted. SwissTransfer runs on Swiss servers with a strong privacy reputation but does not do end-to-end encryption by default.
Can I send files without creating an account? Yes. Send Anywhere, Smash, SwissTransfer, Filemail, and Wormhole all let you send without registering.
Is there a WeTransfer alternative that works offline? LocalSend works over the local network with no internet. On the same LAN, it is the fastest option available.
How large a file can I send for free? SwissTransfer allows 50GB per send. Smash allows unlimited but throttled. Send Anywhere and Wormhole allow 10GB. Filemail allows 5GB. Bitwarden Send caps individual files at 500MB.
Are these apps safe for confidential business files? Wormhole and Bitwarden Send are end-to-end encrypted, both are good choices for confidential shares. LocalSend keeps the file entirely on the local network. For large confidential files, pair Wormhole with a strong password on the recipient side, or use SwissTransfer with an EU-hosted paid Infomaniak plan.
